SIGNIFICANT FLOOR ACTIONS

S.B. 14 (Fraser), requiring a voter to present proof of identification. As passed by the Senate, the bill would: (1) require the voter registrar of each county and the secretary of state to provide notice of voter identification requirements on voter registration certificates and to educate voters about the requirements through certain programs by publishing notice on certain Web sites; (2) require a voter under 70 years of age to present to an election officer at the polling place a voter registration certificate and an acceptable form of identification that contains a photo and is a driver’s license, a military identification card, a citizenship certificate, a Texas concealed handgun license, or an unexpired passport, and allow certain forms of identification listed herein to be used even if expired for up to 60 days after expiration; (3) provide that, if a voter does not present acceptable identification, the voter shall be accepted for provisional voting only; (4) require an election officer to provide information on how to obtain identification without a fee to each voter who presents insufficient identification at time of voting; (5) modify the types of acceptable voter identification documents; (6) make an offense under this section a second degree felony or a state jail felony if the person is convicted of attempt to vote illegally; (7) provide that a voter who presents a voter registration certificate indicating that the voter is currently registered in the precinct, but whose name is not on the precinct list of registered voters, shall be accepted for voting if the voter’s identity can be verified from the proof presented; (8) provide that a provisional ballot may be accepted only if: (a) the voter presents acceptable proof of identification at the time the ballot is cast; (b) the voter submits a copy of the identification to the voter registrar by personal delivery or by mail for examination by the early voting ballot board not later than the sixth business day after the date of the election; or (c) the voter executes an affidavit stating that the voter is indigent or has a religious objection to being photographed; (9) require election judges and clerks to be trained on this voter identification law; (10) require the presiding election judge to post a sign stating the list of acceptable forms of identification; (11) provide for certain exceptions to the bill’s requirements for disabled persons; and (12) require the county clerk and secretary of state to provide notice that is separate from other notices required by law of the bill’s requirements in each language in which voter registration materials are available.

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